Innovation in the field of fiber reinforced materials has occurred rapidly in recent years with the development of new reinforcing fibers and matrix materials. A variety of techniques for the manufacture of fiber reinforced composite structures is now well established. Some of these methods involved the production of fiber-resin sheets, with fibers arranged in parallel and held together with an uncured resin of high viscosity. A composite component is fabricated from such sheet material by cutting, from the sheet, sections of appropriate shape and fiber orientation and then stacking the sheet sections in a mold and applying pressure and heat to shape and cure the components. This invention provides a method for utilization of fiber-resin sheet, containing parallel fibers, for the manufacture of circular discs, plates, and the like.
Brit. No. 1,364,076, British Aircraft Corp. Ltd., Aug. 21, 1974, Int. Cl B32B 5/12 5/28 discloses laminated fiber reinforced plastics sheets with the individual plies at 60.degree. to each other. U.S. Pat. No. 3,174,895, Gibson et al., Mar. 23, 1965, Cl. 161-259, discloses graphitized cellulose cloth laminates bonded with a carbonized binder. U.S. Pat. No. 3,700,535 McCoy et al., Oct. 24, 1972, Cl. 161-47 discloses a conical fiber structure for rocket nose cones comprised of alternate layers or plies of carbon fibers at oppositely angled relationship. U.S. Pat. No. 1,601,911 Godfrey, Oct. 5, 1926, discloses a textile based gear blank of overlapping plies, the cords crossing at acute angles. U.S. Pat. No. 1,473,998, Mixsell, Nov. 13, 1923, discloses a flexible valve diaphragm made with overlapping cord plies. U.S. Pat. No. 2,093,640 Millemaar, Sept. 21, 1937, Cl 154-1, discloses a gear blank made from overlapping composites. Rabenhorst, SAMPE quarterly, January 1975, at 23, discusses high speed flywheel designs.
Japanese Application 1979-54177, Kitagawa, published Apr. 28, 1979, discloses a fiber reinforced high speed rotor using fan-shaped and stripped unidirectional satin weave cloth sections.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,207,778, Hatch, June 17, 1980 discloses a flywheel of a cross-ply composite with a rim portion of circumferentially wound fibers impregnated with a binder.